Celestial Hymn 15 (Patreon)

Celestial Hymn
Chapter 15

-VB-

4 months after...

“You came!” Myrcella laughed as she ran up to her betrothed.

The tall man who never dismissed her out of her gender or age smiled. “It’s good to see you again, princess,” he greeted her genuinely. “How have things been in the Red Keep?”

“It’s dull and boring!” she pouted as they passed by some of the courtiers.

It was only a few steps after they passed by them, but the whispers began immediately.

“Is that him? The Bloody Lord?”

“It must be. The princess is acting close to him. Who else but the princess’s betrothed?”

Myrcella wanted to bring them over to Alan and make them apologize, but Alan placed a hand over hers and smiled understandingly. She pouted and let them go.

The Bloody Lord was the title used by the people who didn’t like Alan. Just because he carried out his duties as a lord, a protector of the people, they slandered him when they would praise their friends. She knew that he defeated bandits in his land before confronting his neighboring lord who made it so that such bandit clans would arise from their lands.

Lord Marris was a good lord who resolved a conflict before it could break out into a bigger one, and she knew how important that kind of ability was.

Mother and father could never defuse a situation like so handily.

“It’s not right,” she mumbled.

“It is their nature,” he replied. “Sharing even a tidbit of information makes them happy like a dog looking at a treat. Aren’t they … pitifully cute? How about adorably pitiful?”

Pitifully cute? She never thought of something as pitifully cute or adorably pitiful.

She giggled. “You carry with you the weirdest combination of words, Lord Marris.”

“One tries,” he smiled again. “Now, today is your birthday and the whole castle is having a party, are we not?”

She nodded.

“Then I will show you my gift at the feast. It’s only appropriate, right?”

She pouted again.

She knew that it was a very un-princess-like behavior, but knowing Lord Marris, it wouldn’t harm her to show more of herself that no one else but her twin brother saw.

“Tell me what you got for Tommen, then I’ll let you surprise me at the party,” she graciously allowed it from her betrothed.

He laughed. “A cunning one, aren’t you?”

It was unfortunate - or was it was fortunate? - that Tommen didn’t get much attention from most of the kingdom. Because she was betrothed to a smallfolk-turned-lord, she got some attention. Because Jofferey was the heir apparent to the Iron Throne, he got a lot of attention.

But Tommen? Despite being the Heir Secondary, he got no attention except from the tutors. Mother paid more attention to her than Tommen.

Only she gave Tommen any time of her day. This was, of course, outside of any formal education and respect lesser lords and ladies gave Tommen as they passed by him.

She prodded with words as they walked deeper into the keep. As they grew closer towards the royal quarters, the encounter with courtesans and servants grew infrequent and then to none.

‘Finally, when we’re away from the prying eyes and ears.’ At least, she hoped. She didn’t want some random servant to hear what Tommen was getting, have them spread rumors, and then Tommen’s surprise would be ruined.

She turned to him and smiled.

“Please?” she asked softly.

A princess could not be heard or seen begging except to those close to her.

“Very well. I shall tell you what I have prepared for His Highness.” With a flourish, he -.

She blinked when she saw an aura of blue light surrounded Lord Marris. And then abruptly, that light emanated like a gust of wind in all direction from him and pushed out until…

Myrcella looked around the room with wide eyes as the light faded away.

“There. Now, no one can listen.”

She turned back to him.

“You… you used magic.”

He bowed before he straightened back up and grinned at her.

“It’ll be our secret, yes?”

She nodded frantically.

“What I had done was a simple anti-eavesdropping barrier. Images and sounds we create inside the barrier is distorted to be hard to make out and altered to make no sense. For example, if someone stood outside the barrier right now,” he said as he gestured towards the far ends of the corridor. She looked, and did see a servant. In first place, it would be hard for the servant there to listen to them.

She only glanced at the servant, who busied herself with whatever her tasks were, and gave her betrothed her full attention. She wanted to ask about his magic but Tommen’s gift came first for her. She had to determine if it was a right gift for her twin brother, after all. She wouldn’t - couldn’t - have her betrothed and brother become enemies over something silly as a birthday gift.

Once she did, she would definitely determine how he was using magic, because whatever he did just then looked nothing like what she ever heard about magic.

“As for your brother’s gift…” he hummed before -.

She blinked.

And then she nearly lurched back when she saw a staff studded at the top with brilliant gemstones at the top. Where had it come from?!

He thumped the floor with the butt of his staff, and a man appeared by his side.

She jolted in surprise this time. “Who-?!”

“He is a trusted retainer,” he smiled.

Myrcella tried to ignore the dead look in the plainly if neatly and appropriately crest-bearing and clean-shaven man’s eyes.

And the man held two items: a vibrant blue cloak and a red box atop.

“Your gift is inside the box, but it would be a spoiler to show it to you right now~.”

She pouted.

He grabbed the pulled the box off of the cloak, and then allowed his formerly invisible servant to hold the cape up.

It was …

It was beautiful.

On the shoulders of the cape were beautifully maned golden stags. The top of the cape was adorned with some kind of fur that seemed to glitter in the light. As for the cape itself…

Blue.

A magnificent and shining blue. It was … more blue? How was she supposed to describe it? This blue was truer than other blues she’s ever encountered. It was deeper than the deepest blues of the ocean. Despite the fact that it was lighter tone, it possessed more depth than the blue she was familiar with that appeared in court or even the late afternoon skies.

She blinked.

And then everything was gone. The shimmering light barrier that had been in the background, her mystery gift, Tommen’s gift, the servant, and the staff.

He smiled.

“Just a sneak peek,” he said with a mirthful smile.

She pouted.

“I want to look at it more!”

It was so blue…

“You will at the feast!”

“Lord Marris!” she whined petulantly, and she knew it.

He laughed.

Sufficed to say, she forgot to ask about his magic until well after the feast.

-VB-

A/N: no new power. Would have gotten 30.015, Clarketech, if we had 50 more points, but we didn’t have that.